


Ragnor Is Dead

by orphan_account



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 13:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7803682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magnus breaks the news to Raphael.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ragnor Is Dead

“ _Magnus? What is it?"_

“For once, Raphael, I'm afraid this isn't something that can be settled over the phone.”

Raphael's voice shifted from its usual pretend-annoyance to something more serious. _“Where do you want to meet?”_

“My loft.”

“ _I'll be there after sunset.”_

Magnus nodded despite knowing Raphael wouldn't see it.

 

* * *

 

A knock.

Magnus threw a glance at the door but decided to spare a second to snap his fingers and conjure up several bottles of alcohol and blood bags. He had a feeling they'd need them.

Leaving them scattered over the coffee table, he headed for the door and opened it without his usual flourish.

Raphael stood there, dressed in one of his usual dark suits but with an expression more openly concerned than usual. Magnus offered him a small nod in greeting and took a step back to invite him in.

Raphael gave the room a short once-over, as if he were checking for signs of a fight before he turned to face Magnus. 

“What happened?” Raphael asked, skipping all pleasantries and small-talk.

Magnus, who'd locked his door, was now twirling one of his rings in a nervous tic he'd never quite managed to shake. Usually, he appreciated Raphael's direct nature, but right now, he wished they could spend a couple of hours getting drunk before he had to break the news.

“Seriously, Magnus, I don't have time for this! Camille is still out there, trying to-”

“Ragnor is dead.”

Raphael cut himself off. His face was unreadable. He stared at Magnus for several seconds as if he were hoping Magnus would roll his eyes and repeat himself, only the words would warp into something else. Something with a different meaning. Something that didn't mean one of his oldest and best friends had … died.

Magnus could see Raphael crumbling right in front of his eyes. He knew him well enough to see past the facade. So he pushed all his own emotions aside and focused on the person in front of him. “Valentine sent a Shax Demon after him. Ragnor got caught off guard. I tried to heal him but...”

Raphael lowered his eyes. His entire posture hardened. His jaw clenched. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Were you with him when he...”

Magnus nodded. “I held him.”

Raphael gave a short nod and turned away. His gaze focused on the coffee table. “So that's what all this is for.”

“I thought we might need it.”

“You were right.”

 

* * *

 

“I mean, I told him it was a stupid idea but would he listen to me?”

“Of course not”, Magnus replied.

“Exactly, he's such a-” Raphael cut himself off. “Was. He _was_ such a stubborn idiot.” He sighed. “ _No puedo creerlo_. “

“Me neither.”

Raphael squeezed the bridge of his nose and sunk further into the armchair. His head pressed into the top of the backrest. “He lived for centuries”, he started and dropped his hand. He wasn't even looking at Magnus. It was like he was talking to himself more than anything. “And then it's all gone because of a simple Shax demon? It seems so … beneath him. _Juro por Dios_ – the day that Shadowhunter dares to even come anywhere near me, I'll rip out his heart and shove it down his throat.”

“I won't stop you”, Magnus said simply.

“I wouldn't let you, even if you did.”

“I don't doubt it.”

 

* * *

 

The night was long over but Magnus had simply snapped his fingers to turn his loft into a sunlight-proof vampire-fort. The windows were hidden behind thick fabric fastened against the wall surrounding the frames and the wards were strong enough to keep anybody out that might try to burst through the front door.

They'd been recalling and retelling stories about Ragnor for hours, their emotions fluctuating between anger, sadness and frustration. Anger, about the pointless death. Sadness, over the loss of an old friend that had been there for both of them whenever they'd needed a blunt voice of reason that wouldn't spare their feelings in order to knock some sense into them. And frustration, at the helpless feeling always left behind when the loss of a loved-one seemed so senseless.

“We could join the Shadowhunters in hunting down Valentine”, Magnus said. His voice lacked its musical undertones. He didn't feel the need to put on a show. And he was getting buzzed.

“Ugh, don't remind me of that club of racists. My week has already been ruined.”

“Maybe I should have called you on Saturday evening then – so that I'd only ruin your Sunday.”

“Your logic is indisputable when you're drunk.”

Magnus swirled the liquid in his glass and watched the ice cubes clink against the sides. “I'm not even drunk yet. I wish I were, then it'd be easier to deal with the knowledge of all the blood stains over my new carpet.”

“It's not like you paid for it.”

Magnus was too tired to argue so he just hummed a noise of acknowledgment.

They sat in silence for several minutes during which they both got lost in their own memories.

After some time had passed, it was Raphael who broke it. When he spoke, he sounded exhausted. Not just physically but a soul-deep exhaustion that came with being tired of life but having an inhumanly long life expectancy. “I wish I could blame the redhead and her league of Clave-controlled soldiers.”

Magnus lightly shook his head. “Valentine went after him because of the potion he'd made for Jocelyn Fairchild.”

“Well, that's what you get for helping a Shadowhunter.”

Magnus sat up to glare at Raphael. “Blame whoever you want - the Shadowhunters, the demon, the Clave, Valentine - but don't you dare blame Ragnor!”

Raphael groaned in frustration. “I _don't_! I don't blame him – I blame Valentine. It's just-” He took a deep breath to calm himself. As he continued, his voice was more even. “I've always told him not to meddle in with the Nephilim. I told him nothing good would come of it, that one day, it would get him killed. And now! Look where we are? Sitting here, getting drunk on blood and alcohol in a pathetic attempt to drown our misery. And you know what? With the path our lives are currently taking, we're no better off than him. I give it five years and we'll both be joining Ragnor in whichever hell this universe has taken him.”

Magnus wished he could argue with Raphael, but in all honesty, part of him had accepted his life might be ending sooner rather than later because of his involvement with Clarissa Fairchild. And now also with the younger Lightwoods.

“Wait a moment...” Magnus said as he replayed Raphael's voice in his head. “Oh, that's right. Biscuit's little friend is part of your clan now, isn't he? It's quite nice to know we both got dragged into this mess on separate ends.”

“Don't remind me of that idiot right now”, Raphael said. He sipped at his blood bag while he glared at the coffee table. “You don't even know how much trouble he's caused me in the few weeks he's been here.”

Magnus thought back to all the times he'd portalled to the Institute, the blood that had gotten all over his furniture, the separate occasions where he'd drained parts of his magic to save the frantic teenagers and their associates. “I can imagine.”

“And he's so annoying. He just … never stops talking. I bet he even continues to babble on in his sleep.”

“Sounds to me like you're quite fond of him.”

Raphael threw him a death-glare worthy of the leader of a vampire clan.

Magnus raised his hands in surrender and looked away.

“But since you mention fondness”, Raphael said. The smirk was evident in his voice. “What is it that the walking annoyance kept rambling on about? You crashed a Shadowhunter wedding?”

Magnus shrugged. “I didn't actually mean to interrupt, I just happened to be late and you know me – I never turn down an opportunity to make a scene. Though I have to admit, it turned out a lot better than expected. It was definitely worth the change of plans.”

“I can't believe you ran off with the fiance of an envoy of the Clave. I wish Ragnor would be here to hear this – his face would be priceless.”

“In a way, he encouraged me to do it.”

“What are you-”

Raphael was cut off by an insistent buzzing coming from Magnus's cellphone. It was lying on the armrest of the couch and when Magnus glanced at the screen, he sighed.

He picked it up and accepted the call despite his better judgement. “The High Warlock of Brooklyn is currently not available for your petty problems, please-” The persistent voice at the other end made him pause and sigh. “Okay, fine. It's me. What do you want?” He listened for a few seconds. “No.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose, eyes closed as he continued to listen. “No, it's alright. I'm at my loft. Just … don't break my front door again – I do have a buzzer.” He hung up.

“Let me guess", Raphael deadpanned. "Shadowhunter business?” 

Magnus gave him the side-eye. “Don't forget you're trapped here with me. Unless, of course-” His mouth curled up into a smirk. “You'd like me to summon a portal for you.”

Raphael squinted his eyes at the warlock. “I nearly broke both my legs because of you.”

“And I healed the  _light sprain_ for you.”

“After I fell through a hole in the floor _because of you_.”

“How was I supposed to know the building had been involved in a bombing? It was fine a decade earlier.”

“Exactly. _A decade_.”

Magnus waved the argument aside and pushed to his feet. “Come on now. Let's get you cleaned up and away from that front door. I need to get rid of this mess before the cavalry shows up.”

Raphael allowed himself to get pulled to his feet and led into the adjacent room. Currently, it looked like a study but just a few weeks ago Magnus had used it to summon the memory demon for the Fairchild girl.

Magnus switched on the light and snapped his fingers to remove the stains from Raphael's clothing. “Alright. You should be fine in here. Whether you choose to join us in the living room later on is up to you.”

Raphael crossed his arms and darted his eyes across his new surroundings.

Magnus sighed. If it were anyone else, he'd be leaning in for a hug but he knew Raphael wouldn't want or appreciate the gesture. He settled for a hand on his shoulder and a small squeeze. When he'd stepped back, he gestured at the bookshelves lining the walls. “If you choose to remain in here, feel free to pick one.”

Raphael offered a small nod. He looked younger than usual and it broke Magnus's heart. It reminded him of the day they'd met and how lost Raphael had looked.

Not knowing what else to say, Magnus turned to leave. 

“Magnus.”

Magnus tilted his head to show he was listening.

“Thank you. For telling me.”

Magnus didn't want to think of someone mentioning it to Raphael as part of an offhand comment or a rumor. He was glad he'd gotten there first. Instead of turning back around, he only ducked his head in acknowledgment and stepped back out into the living room. He closed the door behind him with a small flick of his wrist.

After making quick work of cleaning up the living room, he snapped his fingers to get into more appropriate clothes and fix his make up.

Not even a minute passed before the doorbell sounded.

He took a deep breath through his nose and walked up to the intercom. He didn't even bother asking who it was. He could feel their presence through his wards. Settled down in the armchair previously occupied by Raphael, he waited for them to come strutting in.

Clary, as per usual, didn't bother with pleasantries. The moment she laid eyes on Magnus, she went off. “Magnus, we think Jace tried contacting Alec through their _Parabatai_ bond."

“Okay”, Magnus replied calmly. “And what do you want me to do about it?”

During the few short seconds of him speaking, Alec and Izzy had appeared behind Clary.

With a small wave of Magnus's hand, the front door fell shut and locked itself. Nobody paid any attention to the gesture.

Magnus studied the two siblings stepping up behind Clary. Where Isabelle seemed calm and collected, Alec seemed tense and to Magnus, it was apparent he was resting most of his weight on the leg opposite his  _Parabatai_. Whatever Jace had done, it had most likely caused Alec a lot of pain.

“Jace sent me these pictures, these images”, Alec said. “But they flashed by so fast I couldn't really make anything out. If you could help me look at them again, I might be able to figure out where he is.”

“He _and_ Valentine.”

At the new voice, all three Shadowhunters turned around and reached for their weapons.

Magnus rolled his eyes and stood up to brush through the gap between Izzy and Alec. He firmly placed himself between them and Raphael.

“At ease, soldiers”, Magnus said. “Don't be rude to my guest.”

Raphael leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed and face a mask of nonchalance.

“What's _he_ doing here?” Izzy asked in a tone Magnus had heard directed at himself one too many times.

“Like I said, he's my guest”, Magnus repeated. He walked up beside Raphael and took a stance next to him. He faced the Shadowhunters, challenging them. He cared for them, yes, but he wouldn't tolerate any bigotry in his own home. 

“You two know each other?” Alec asked.

“Darling, we're both immortals _and_ the leaders of two of the biggest Downworlder clans in the city – this really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.”

Alec's facial expression shifted.  _'Touché'_ it seemed to say. 

Magnus appreciated the gesture.

When everybody seemed to have somewhat adjusted to their new situation, he clapped his hands together. “Okay! Now that's settled, how about we all sit down like civilized people and talk about this?” He looked around, fixating everyone until he'd received a nod of agreement from everyone. He offered them all a smile and ushered them to take a seat.

When he dropped down beside Raphael, he locked eyes with Alec for a moment. What he saw there made him realize he wouldn't like the plan they were about to come up with.

 


End file.
